15 killed, 45 injured in Thursday's prison break in Iraq: police

BAGHDAD, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Casualty statistics of Thursday's prison riot in Iraq's northern city of Tikrit rose to 15 death and 45 injuries, local police said Friday.

A local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that 10 police personnel were among the dead and 30 among the injured.

Some 200 have escaped and many of them were recaptured by the security forces later, the official said, adding that 81 of the 200 were at large among whom were some al-Qaida leaders.

The detainees seized weapons from guards when supper was distributed on Thursday. The escaped detainees opened the cell doors and took control of the prison.

The prison housed some 900 prisoners including scores of al- Qaida members.

Large reinforcement of military and police personnel from nearby cities of Samarra and Baghdad were at the scene after the incident, and the hunt-down continued on Friday.

The local police said it was al-Qaida linked prisoners who led this assault.

Tikrit, 170 km north of the capital Baghdad, is the hometown of former leader Saddam Hussein and a stronghold of Sunni insurgents. Prison breaks happened from time to time in the restive city in recent years.